Prague districts

Prague districts

Prague has a local-government structure. At the top is the Magistrate of the Capital City of Prague (Magistrát hlavního města Prahy), which is responsible for public transport, waste collection, municipal police, firefighting, ambulance services, cultural activities, care of historical sites, the Prague ZOO and other activities of citywide significance.

Since 1990, the city has been divided into 57 self-governing municipal districts (městské části). Since 2001, the 57 municipal districts are grouped into 22 numbered administrative districts (správní obvody).

Both the citywide government and the municipal districts have elected councils and mayors. The mayor of the Capital City of Prague is known as the primátor, which is sometimes translated into English as "lord mayor."

The most famous Prague districts

The most famous Prague districts for tourists are the centrally located districts which are especiall Prague 1, but also Prague 2 and a part of Prague 5. If you would like to stay close to the airport we recommend you to stay at Prague 6. In any case the whole city has got very good infrastructure so you do not have to be affraid to travel from further place to the Old center where it can be sometimes very busy.

Hradčany

Hradčany is said to be the biggest castle in the world at about 570 meters length and an average of about 130 meters wide. Its history stretches back to the 8th century. The St. Vitus Cathedral is located in the castle area. At the Prague Castle there where the Czech kings,Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of the Czech Republic have had their offices. The crown jewels of the Bohemian Kingdom are kept here.

Hradčany is the Prague district surrounding the Prague Castle. Hradčany was an independent borough until 1784.

Lesser Town (Malá Strana)

(in English literally "Little Side", though more frequently referred to as "Lesser Town", "Lesser Quarter", or "Lesser Side") is one of Prague's historical and oldest boroughs. Its name comes from its position on the left (west) bank of the river Vltava. It is conjoined with the right bank of Vltava by the Charles Bridge.

In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant centre of the German settlement of Prague. It also housed a large number of noble palaces while the right-bank towns were comparatively more bourgeois and more Czech.

The famous Czech novelist Jan Neruda was born, lived in and wrote about Malá Strana. Also the Petřín lookout tower is located in Malá Strana.

Old Town Square

Old Town was the original place of settlement in Prague. In the 14th century, Charles IV expanded the city by founding the New Town. These two parts are separated by Na Příkopě street.

Notable places in the Old Town include the Old Town Square or Astronomical Clock. Across the river Vltava is the Lesser Quarter, called Malá Strana in Czech. These two parts of the town are connected by Charles Bridge.

Part of the Old Town is also a Jewish quarter (Josefov). It is an area of central Prague, formerly the Jewish ghetto of the town. The quarter is often represented by the flag of Prague's Jewish community, a yellow Magen David (Star of David) on a red field.

New Town

New Town was founded in 1348 by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor as an independently administered city, located to the south of the Old Town. The new Prague town walls surrounded 7,5 km², of which one third was covered by the new city. In 1378, well over 40,000 people lived in Prague, possibly twice that many.

New Town's most famous landmark is Wenceslas Square, which was originally built as a horsemarket and now functions as a center of commerce and tourism. In the 15th century, the Nové Město Radnice, or New Town Hall, was the site of the first of the three defenestrations of Prague.

Vyšehrad

Vyšehrad is a castle located in Prague and built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Peter, as well as the Vyšehrad cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history. Vyšehrad and the area around it became part of the capital city, Prague, in 1883.

Vinohrady

Vinohrady (in English literally "vineyards") gains its name from the fact that the area was once covered in vineyards dating from the 14th century. From 1867 to 1968, it was known as Královské Vinohrady ("Royal Vineyards"). In 1922, Vinohrady became part of Prague. Because it was known as a "bourgeois" district and thus politically unreliable, the then-ruling Communists split Vinohrady into different municipal districts in 1949.

Havlíčkovy Sady (literally Havlíček's Orchards), Prague's second-largest park, is located in this district. There is a productive vineyard in operation in Gröbovka Park, located next to Havlíčkovy Sady.